Faceoff
by Caitlin Prongs Black
Summary: Naraku has come up with another wicked plan. To force Inuyasha to watch Kagome and Kikyo fight to the death. The prize for winning is Inuyasha. Knowing this, Kikyo abandons her morals and hunts after Kagome. What will Kagome do? Will she fight back? Chapter 10's out now! :)
1. Chapter 1

**Faceoff**

**A/N:** Okay! I'm sorry :'(. I was supposed to get a new story up awhile ago. But the thing is Blame, my first fanfic, was easy to write. The ideas just came to me and I didn't need to think about it too much because my mind kind of structured it itself. Then after I finished I couldn't for the life of me think of a decent original idea. Even when I got this one it took me ages to think through what I was going to do with it. Eventually I just kind of went stuff it and not keep you waiting, which is actually what I'm doing right now so I should probably stop annoying you now. Okay! Onto the story!

One last thing:

Kagome's POV for whole story

_Italics = Thoughts_

**DISCLAIMER:  
I still don't own Inuyasha. Take all the credit Rumiko Takahashi! I don't want it anyway! *sulks in a corner* **

**Chapter One:**

**Another Evil Plan**

I heaved myself up and out of the well. I wiped the sweat from my forehead.

_Note to self: The weight of my bag is not good for my back when trying to climb out of deep wells. _

My thoughts were interrupted by a rapid furry projectile launching itself at me. Instinctively, I outstretched my hands to catch the thing and ended up with a grinning Shippo in my arms. "Kagome, you're back! Did you bring our yummy ninja treats?" He asked bouncing in my arms with excitement. I chuckled at the little fox and answered, "Of course I did. I even got you some new crayons and a colouring book."

"Yippee!" He squealed and launched himself out of my arms and dashed towards the village. Laughing, I adjusted my bag on my back and started towards the village.

I walked into Kaede's house and greeted everyone, "Hi guys!"

"Kagome! Welcome back." Sango said smiling.

"Ah Kagome, you have returned. How was your family?" Miroku said.

_Grrr, that hand again. _

"They are fine, Miroku. But I would appreciate if you keep that hand to yourself." I growled. He laughed and retracted his wandering hand.

"Of course." He said. Sango and I exchanged glances, rolling our eyes.

"Hey, you said you'd be back in two days!" A familiar voice called.

_Well, I know who that is. _

"Sorry Inuyasha, I had a project to finish." I said, hoping he would just leave it. I didn't want a fight when I first showed up.

"Meh, whatever." He said.

_Good enough for me. _

I sat down and started giving out my gifts to everyone. I unpacked the crayons and colouring book for Shippo, a few cans of soft drink for Miroku, a box of chocolates for Sango, some cat treats for Kirara and then a gigantic bag of potato chips for Inuyasha. Everyone accepted gratefully and everyone dug into their gifts. I lifted my bag and was thankful it lost a bit of weight. I wasn't too keen on being a cripple in my teens because of the ridiculous weight of my bag. "Ah, ye are back Kagome." Lady Kaede appeared in the doorway smiling at me. I returned the smile and dug in my bag for my present. I pulled out some modern medicine and gave it to her. "Those are some new bandages for you Kaede; I noticed you were running low on the ones I gave you last time."

"Thank you, child." She said and turned to leave. I returned my attention to my friends and asked, "So anything new going on?"

"Not especially." Sango replied. The others nodded in agreement.

"I see." I murmured.

_Naraku hasn't shown his face in awhile. _

Suddenly, I sensed a jewel shard. It wasn't Naraku, Koga or Kohaku. It was probably another demon.

"Inuyasha, I sense a jewel shard." I told him. We all got up and collected our things.

We burst into a clearing in the forest and there stood a huge bear demon. It had a jewel shard embedded in its forehead. It roared and swung a giant fist at us and we all scattered. Kirara growled and leapt at the demon, claws out. The demon countered, a strong punch connecting with Kirara and she was flung backwards. Sango, now mad, swung her Hiraikotsu. It cut through the demon's arm, slicing it clean off. The demon roared in rage and it charged towards Sango but it didn't make it there because I fired my arrow and it connected right where the shard was. The shard burst from the demon and Inuyasha killed it with his Wind Scar. I went and got the shard, purifying it and putting it in my glass bottle with the rest. "Well done guys!" I cheered. They smiled; Inuyasha smirked and bragged, "Please, I could have killed the demon in my sleep, piece of cake." We all rolled our eyes and decided we might as well continue our search for Naraku. We chose a direction and began travelling through the forest.

It wasn't long before night fell, diminishing the light of day. We found a decent spot to set up camp. I made ramen; the journey tired me out so I didn't feel up to cooking anything complicated. Not that Inuyasha minded, he attacked the food like it he had never eaten. Ever. Sango and I stared at the inhuman speed of Inuyasha inhaling his food, shaking our heads before starting on our own. "I wonder when Naraku will show his face." Miroku asked seriously.

"Soon, I think. There aren't many more shards. Eventually he's going to try getting ours." I replied.

"When he does show his ugly face, I'll kill him for sure." Inuyasha added, gripping Tetsusaiga. "Not without us you won't." Sango said confidently.

"Please, I could kill him fine on my own." He said with a new air of arrogance.

"Mmhm, you keep thinking that dog-boy." I said, patting him on the head.

"Hey! Stop patting me like a dog!" He complained, swiping away my hand as everyone burst into laughter. "Besides, it's true. I don't need any help from you guys." We all rolled our eyes and laughed. Then Inuyasha even started laughing. We spent the rest of the night just talking. Eventually we all climbed into our sleeping bags and said goodnight. I fell into a dreamless sleep.

**A/N: **

Thanks for reading the first chapter of Faceoff. The actual plot will begin soon, I just thought a little introductory chapter would be nice instead of leaping right into it. Anyway,

**Review, Favourite and Follow.**

Later guys!


	2. Chapter 2

**Faceoff**

**A/N: **Ok I'm back! Sorry for the wait, I was really busy with New Years etc. So, I'm very late but hey, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I'm going to attempt a chapter a day like my last fic. A good way to do that would probably to stop waking up at 2pm… Oh well, note to self: stop procrastinating and do something productive, like writing! Thanks for waiting!

On to the story…

**DISCLAIMER:  
I don't own Inuyasha… I'm going to go cry now. *pats imaginary Kirara* Forever alone. **

**Chapter Two:**

**Unfolding**

We woke to the orange skies of sunrise, a new day's sun showering us with its warmth. A yawn came from behind me as I stared at the sun rising over the treetops. "Good morning, Kagome." Sango greeted.

"Morning, Sango." I replied. The others rustled into life around us and I started making breakfast. "Oi Kagome, when's breakfast ready?" Inuyasha impatiently asked.

"It'll be ready when it's ready." I said, rolling my eyes.

"Unhelpful woman," I heard him mutter.

"What was that?" I asked , irritation growing.

"N-nothing," He quickly replied.

_You better hope it was nothing; meals don't make themselves around here. Appreciation is all I ask. _

Luckily, the food was ready soon after and we all dug in. Miroku suggested that we ask around for leads in the village that's supposedly not far from here. Well, that's what we had heard. We all agreed and we set off for the village soon after we were done eating. Shippo was still fast asleep so I carried him, stroking his fiery hair. It wasn't long until the village came into sight; it was huge and seemed to stretch on for ages, unusual considering the size of other villages I had seen. We approached it and started asking if anyone had seen or heard anything strange, an increase in demons, any mysterious deaths. Anything we could use really, we hadn't had any leads for a long time and we were getting desperate. At the time, I was feeling uneasy about that village.

We were all starting to relax in the headman's house after we were done questioning the village folk. We were offered spare rooms for the night. We were all a bit on edge because, as far we knew, we had done nothing to earn the hospitality and we were wondering why he was being so generous. We were given a large meal and two rooms, one for the girls and the other for the guys. Sango was particularly grateful for that; Miroku was always trying something lately. We all ate together in Sango and my room though and we were happy but suspicious that we had such nice hosts. "I think something's up with the headman." Inuyasha added.

"Or he could just be a very generous person." Miroku countered.

"No one's a very generous person around here." Inuyasha sighed.

"I beg to differ." I said.

"Feh."

_Hm, he's in a weird mood. Something's troubling him. I wonder what it is._

"Well, what did you guys find out in the village today?" Sango said, trying to lighten up the conversation.

"Nothing, we're just kicking up dirt." Inuyasha said angrily.

"I didn't get anything either." I said.

"Me neither." Sango sighed.

"Nothing." Miroku said sadly, lowering his head slightly.

_This chase for Naraku will go on forever until we can find anything out for us to locate him. Knowing him, he's just sitting back and plotting while his incarnations run around gathering shards. _

Inuyasha started getting angry. "The way this is going we're never going to find him. I say we leave at sunrise tomorrow and move on." He growled.

"Hey, I'm going to get some fresh air." Miroku quickly muttered and walked out of the room, probably to avoid Inuyasha's anger. Sango followed him with Shippo and Kirara not far behind leaving only me and Inuyasha. I stepped forward and put a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. "It's ok Inuyasha, we'll get him."

Everyone hadn't returned when I managed to calm him down and he looked at me and smiled slightly.

"Thanks Kago-" Suddenly, the walls started to pulsate, cutting Inuyasha off.

_What is going on?!_

We tried to run towards the door but we were thrust back, a barrier forming around us, keeping us in rather than keeping us out. We heard familiar evil laughter emanating throughout the room and we weren't surprised when we saw Naraku appear in front of us, outside the barrier. "It's been awhile, Inuyasha." He smirked.

"Save the formalities," Inuyasha growled. "There's no point when you're going to die soon." He reached for Tetsusaiga but Naraku just laughed.

"I'd love to see you try to get through that barrier, your friends are already somewhere in the forest outside the village looking for a demon that doesn't even exist." _Did he trick Miroku and Sango into leaving? _"There's only one of you I have use for and that is Kagome."

_What? Why me? What does he want with me?_

"Like hell I'm letting you have her!" Inuyasha yelled, swinging his sword at the purple barrier that surrounded us but it had no effect and I was already being thrown through the barrier by a slimy tentacle. I spun in midair and landed hard, scraping a knee but was otherwise unharmed. "Kagome are you ok?!" Inuyasha asked frantically.

"I'm fine." I answered. I glared at Naraku with every ounce of hatred I had and hoped that Sango and Miroku would figure out the trap and make it back. "What do you want with her?" Inuyasha shouted fiercely.

"I just want a bit of entertainment while also getting rid of another pest." Naraku said with a wicked smirk. "What do you mean?" Inuyasha yelled.

"I forgot how stupid all of you are," Naraku stated and Inuyasha growled at him. "This village will soon be a battlefield; I've set up a little match. A fight to the death, the loser dies and the winner gets a prize along with their life, for the time being."

Inuyasha started thrashing against the barrier. "No way in hell is Kagome fighting anyone! Not with me around." _Who will I have to fight and what is this prize? _

I decided to ask exactly that. "Naraku! Who am I fighting and what is this prize?" I yelled. He laughed and spoke, "Haha, the prize is very befitting considering your opponent. Trust me; she is very eager to win it." My irritation grew and I screamed, "Answer my question already!" He smiled and then said loudly,

"Show yourself Kikyo." I gasped loudly and turned to where Naraku was looking and then to both Inuyasha and my despair Kikyo appeared with a murderous look in her eyes. The problem with this look though was it wasn't directed at Naraku like usual, it was directed at me. _No, not her! Anyone but her! I can't kill Kikyo, not only will Inuyasha hate me for it but I will too. I can't, I won't. But, what's with that look she's got on her face? Does she really intend to kill me?! _

I took a frightened step back and looked over to Inuyasha for moral support but he was too invested in Kikyo to notice. _Hehe, nothing changes. _I couldn't help the bitter thoughts. Then I noticed something else different about her. _Where's her bow gone? _

Naraku, the bastard, probably guessed what I was wondering and added, "There are weapons hidden around the village, you can use anything you find. Oh and Kagome, I wouldn't try to escape if I were you, the strongest of barriers are surrounding the whole village and Kagura and Kanna are watching you at all times, not to mention myself." Kagura and Kanna appeared and Kikyo and I were shoved towards the two different sides of the village.

When I finally reached my starting point I realised that I had time to gather supplies before the Kikyo reached me. I was for once thankful for the sheer size of the village. It was easy to conceal yourself. Naraku appeared high in the middle of the village with Inuyasha in a small barrier next to him, forced to watch despite his frantic struggles to escape. _Speaking of which, who does he want to win this in the end?_ I pushed those thoughts from my mind and focused on what I was going to do. If I can get a bow I should be able to defend myself but I didn't want to use one even if I find one. _Could I really bring myself to kill her, even if she is determined to kill me? I know better than anyone how much pain her death would put Inuyasha through. Could I do that to him? _I focused again on strategy. _First priority should be water and food then weaponry._ I knew deep inside me that all this planning will go to hell as soon as this started. Besides, Naraku probably has traps and demons and god-knows what else. As though he knew he was mentioned Naraku's voice boomed across the village, "Hahaha, perfect. Let the match… begin!"

**A/N: **Cliffhanger! I'm sorry but it is 1:30am and I'm getting tired. Funny actually, this one took two days to finish. I wonder why… Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed, I try my best! Good thing its holidays or else this thirteen year old high schooler may be too busy! Pfft, like I could be too busy for fanfiction. What a ludicrous idea. So, what did you think of the chapter? Like it? Hate it? Want it to burn in hellish devil fire? Then…

**Review! Favourite! Follow!**

See you later guys,

Caitlin 


	3. Chapter 3

**Faceoff**

**A/N: **I'm sorry! I know I was supposed to write a couple days ago . I was procrastinating again. Dammit Caitlin, get it together. I will write as much as I can the next couple of days. I just came back from a funeral today, my nana died on the 27th. I lost two family members last year so it's nice to get 2012 out the way. Now that its 2013, I'm going to try and make as big of an effort as ever! Thanks for sticking around guys! Love ya!

**DISCLAIMER: None of Inuyasha, including Inuyasha's fuzzy ears *cries* are mine. ALL of it is Rumiko Takahashi's. All credit to her.**

**Chapter Three: **

**The Headman's House**

I ran to the nearest house, my eyes darting across its interior looking for supplies.

_Nothing, dammit._

I dashed out of the house and into the next one, finding an empty quiver. It was frustrating that it didn't have any arrows and I still needed a bow. If I get a bow I may stand half a chance. It didn't take long to search most of the houses around me and managed to get a small dagger, a katana, a loaf of bread, a bunch of fruit and a wooden bucket full of fresh water that I poured into a canteen I had in my pocket.

_I don't know how to use a dagger or a katana! What if Kikyo has a bow? I'm doomed!_

I took a deep breath; I had to believe in myself. I calmed down and kept thinking to myself,

_I can do this, I can do this. Freaking out will only make me vulnerable. I need to be focused if I want to win. I have a weapon, water and food, I stand a chance._

It was then I realised that I was going to try to win; I wasn't going to back down like I always did.

_Despite Inuyasha's despair over Kikyo's death if I win, I don't want to die and he should know that I only will kill her because she is trying to kill me. Hopefully he will understand. _

After I had strengthened my resolve and determination I kept moving, it was inevitable that she would eventually find me. But I wanted to make her come to me rather than me come to her; it would give me a better opportunity to attack when she's in territory that she's not familiar with. If I can wall myself up in a large house then I can guard it and I can set up traps and probably store all my supplies and have lots of room to hide, fight and run if needed.

_The headman's house!_

The biggest house in the village is the headman's house, and it may still have my stuff there if Naraku didn't take it. I started to hurry, the sun was almost rising and I was easier to spot in the daylight. I was starting to get hungry; I hadn't made dinner before Naraku interrupted. I forced thoughts of my hunger out of my mind and focused on reaching the headman's house. The barrier around the headman's house may have been taken down because of the larger barrier that had been formed around the whole village. I started to walk toward the middle of the village where the house is. Unfortunately it meant I had to abandon my plan of her coming to me for a while because I was walking right toward her, if she was still around her starting point that is. She probably wasn't, I just hoped she hadn't gathered such a massive amount of supplies that she would be impossible to fight. The sun was now touching the village with its glow. In any other case it would have been beautiful but I no longer had time to admire the scenery, it would take several hours to reach the middle again, the village was huge making it a perfect place for this battle. I looked up to the sky Naraku couldn't be seen from here and I realised that the Naraku and Inuyasha that were there at the start of the fight were probably just projections from Kanna's mirror made bigger so I could see them. I was still checking houses as I went, I didn't want Kikyo to get any advantages that I could have had if I had bothered to check the houses. I now had a bit of rice, an axe, wooden container of water, a set of throwing knives and a longsword. I stopped moving forward and, with a lot of effort I might add, I got some wood with my axe and made two makeshift scabbards. Honestly, they were really bad with a piece of cloth left in one of the houses as a handle and the actual scabbards bound to give me splinters but it was better than nothing. I had been carrying the dagger in my quiver which wasn't very practical if I'm attacked but I couldn't put the sharp metal in my pocket because it would probably do one of two things: rip the pocket or cut me or both. If I was injured then I was vulnerable and if I ripped the pocket then I couldn't carry anything else and I had a lot of stuff. I had been carrying everything sharp in my quiver and anything else was shoved in my pockets. I hoped that my bag was still there, it would be insanely useful to carry things. I continued down the path, checking houses as I went but didn't find anything new.

It was near nightfall when I finally saw the house, I ran behind the house near me and looked out and checked that Kikyo wasn't in sight. She didn't seem to be around, though I knew she could be hiding nearby, waiting. She was smart; it was pointless to argue that. I cautiously approached the house and opened the door and saw my bag, though the jewel shards were gone that but that didn't surprise me. Just because he wasn't trying to kill us quickly doesn't make him that much different than his usual wicked self. I had my bow, the bow I was used to and loved and my quiver full of arrows. I emptied my bag, leaving out my textbooks; I would have no time to study with the inevitable battle ahead. I luckily had a bunch of food, ramen. Ramen made me think of Inuyasha, I thought of him with Naraku just watching me and Naraku taunted him. It made my blood boil; Naraku was such an evil bastard. I wondered who Inuyasha wanted to win, if he had decided. I prayed he knew that I planned to stay alive. Though by my extensive weapon stores I think he got the point. I unstuffed everything in my pockets, all the food and my water went into the front pocket of my bag. I then got my axe, dagger and throwing knives out of the quiver and put it in the back pocket. I then searched the house, there were countless rooms. All filled with different things, some things useless and some not. I found lots of leather, I didn't know where it came from but I made a belt to hold my knives and dagger. I had enough weaponry for the time being so I hid the rest in case Kikyo searched the place at some point and uses them against me. I then made a huge find, explosives. A bunch of explosives stashed away in a back room. I planted mines in the entrances and used some techniques Sango once taught me to rig it up. I found some priestess uniforms that I had no idea why they were there but I put one on thinking that it might be slightly more protection than my school uniform. Satisfied that the place was well protected I finally went back into my room and realised I was starving but didn't notice it with all the adrenaline of the day so I ate a slice of bread with an apple and drank some water. I was curious as to why Kikyo hadn't made an appearance at all that day. I decided that she was either still preparing or waiting for the right moment. I laid down and was instantly tired, considering the fast-paced actions of the day I hadn't had time to be tired. I fell into a cautious sleep, my dagger hidden under my futon.

_Meanwhile with Inuyasha and Naraku…_

"So Inuyasha, enjoying the view?" Naraku asked me in that goddamn cocky tone of his.

_The way he's going, I'm going to rip that tongue out of his mouth. _

"Shut up," I replied to him. "When I get out of here I'm going to kill you. Slowly. Painfully." He just laughed irritatingly. I may go insane before getting out of here. I turned back to Kanna who was suspended next to us showing the two girls in her mirror. Kagome was sleeping with a dagger under her futon, a smart idea. She may need it. Kikyo was in a small house surrounded by her supplies. She had a bow and some arrows, a sword and an ample amount of food. She looked outside and I could see the headman's house.

_She is really close to Kagome! She must have travelled a fair distance when I was watching Kagome._

She looked like she was going to attack that night! I had no goddamn idea what to do about it. I still didn't know who I want to win but I was worried by that look in Kikyo's eyes before. She isn't the Kikyo I knew. I knew that she would take a shot at Kagome, she was bloodthirsty. She really wanted this special prize, Naraku told me what it was, me. The winner gets me.

**A/N: So was that any good? Now if you're wondering about the end bit, I thought it would be nice to have a little look into how Inuyasha is coping every now and then and what Naraku is plotting. Tell me if you like the idea if not tell me in your reviews so I know whether to do it in future chapters. **

**Thanks for reading,**

**Love you!**

**Caitlin **


	4. Chapter 4

**Faceoff**

**A/N: **Hi! I'm back! Guess what, I was procrastinating again… *sigh* Anyway, I'm going to write as much as I can as fast as I can while still keeping up the quality. I don't want to keep you guys waiting. 400 views guys! Woo!

**DISCLAIMER: Again, I don't own any of the Inuyasha franchise. None of it. At all. Never will. WHY IS LIFE SO UNFAIR. **

**Chapter Four:**

**Attack**

I awoke in the darkness and I knew something was wrong. There was a sinister feel to the evening air, crushing down on me with enormous pressure.

_She's near. Surely she couldn't get in without being blown to pieces by the bombs._

I grasped my dagger tightly, my hand shaking slightly. I had plotted and planned but that was all theoretical, actually carrying it out was completely different. I didn't know if I was going to be able to face her.

_No! No going soft now. Come on Kagome, it's either fight or die. _

I gathered my courage, took a deep calming breath and grabbed my weapons and bag. Then I hid in a wardrobe, hoping that if she found the room I could catch her by surprise. I started to hear light footsteps padding on the wooden floors; they were getting closer and closer. Then they stopped.

I knew that she was outside my room. I heard the door slide open and she entered, I covered my mouth with my hand to muffle the sound of my breathing. I heard her light laughing, "Haha, you think that I would be stupid enough to walk in the front door. You might want to fix the hole in your roof, if you are still alive after this, which you won't be." She taunted. I stayed silent, scolding myself that I didn't think about her getting onto the top of another house and climbing onto the roof. "Hiding from me are you? I know you are here, come out so I can kill you. Then Inuyasha will come with me to hell. Didn't Naraku tell you? That is the prize, when I win, I get Inuyasha."

_The prize is Inuyasha? Naraku isn't just going to kill him? But never mind that, Kikyo! He won't go with you! Not until he slaughters Naraku. _

I screamed my thoughts, trying to relieve in my frustration without alerting her of where I was hidden.

"Not coming out? Fine then, you underestimate my ability. I'm a powerful priestess; I will just seek out your aura."

_Damn! What am I going to do? I can't do much if she knows exactly where I am. But, maybe I can see her aura! I'm a priestess. _

I focused my powers and I saw her purple and blue aura swirling around her, the purple being her priestess powers and the blue her dead souls, she still was pretty much full. But she wouldn't be able to move when those souls ran out. She would be hopeless. However, this wasn't a time to think about that. I picked up my bow and notched an arrow, quickly swinging my bag on my back and burst from the wardrobe.

I fired an arrow. She quickly notched an arrow into her own bow but my arrow struck her arm and she cried out in pain. Her eyes flashed in anger and she fired an arrow I just managed to dive out of the way and unsheathed my katana. I didn't have any practise using it apart from swing it around a bit when I got it to check how heavy it was but I surprisingly managed to cut her, no blood seeped out of the wound of the dead priestess. But instead of growing angrier, she smirked and pulled out her own sword, "What a joke, you wear a priestess uniform but you are nothing compared to my strength." My blood boiled in anger, her arrogance enraging me.

"That's big talk coming from the person with a wounded arm and chest." I snarled. "This is just the beginning." She said and came at me, slashing furiously. I ducked, but not before her sword made a long cut across my arm, blood seeping. She missed an artery by inches, if she got one I was going to bleed out in minutes. I jumped, driving my katana downwards cutting deep into her arm. She screamed and just as I was about to stab her, she managed to fire an arrow, it was clumsy because she couldn't life her left arm but it buried itself in my leg before I could avoid it and blood gushed from my leg. I prepared for a finishing blow and looked up at her. But she was in a great deal of pain from her wounds and she grew weaker. I tried to stand but just fell back to my knees in pain. She crawled towards me and clasped her hands around my throat as I tried to throw her off but her hands had no strength. I pushed her chest hard and she let go, tumbling backwards. Realising she couldn't kill me in her condition she stumbled out of the door. Seconds later a loud explosion shook the ground.

_She must have stepped on a bomb! _

I limped towards the hole in the wall and looked for her and saw her dragging herself away. She wasn't dead but she lost a leg. I reached for my bow and drew back an arrow hoping to shoot her before she disappeared into the darkness but my arm burned with pain with the pressure and I dropped them, clattering to floor. I had to let her go but she would be back. During that battle I lost pretty much all of my sympathy for her. Flaunting her superiority and her taunting completely obliterated all my respect. There would be no more holding back, not anymore.

I checked around the headman's house one last time, checking for anything I could have left behind, piling as much as I could that could be useful into my bag making it weigh a tonne. I spread gunpowder all over the place covering the floor and the roof and made a trail away from the house. I then got a bar of steel that I looted and a piece of flint and struck them together and the gunpowder burst into hot flames. I drew back my hands to avoid getting burned and the gunpowder spread down the trail and the house was enveloped in flame. I turned my back to the burning house and began to walk away, Kikyo was injured and the hunted was becoming the hunter. I was starting my own hunt, the hunt for Kikyo.

_Meanwhile with Inuyasha and Naraku…_

"K-Kikyo…" Naraku was in pain; his human heart was fighting against him.

_Serves him right the evil jerk. _

I was surprised at how well Kagome was faring, she had never been taught how to use a sword and she was fighting like a pro. She obviously had natural talent, not as much as me though. Kikyo had managed to get to her feet, or should I say foot, and hobbled away by bracing herself with her bow. One thing was obvious, she was mad although, so was I. I heard all the things she said to Kagome and they pissed me off. She treated her like a copy and I knew that if you did that to Kagome then she will not be pleased, I have gotten enough 'sits' to know that. Kikyo wasn't herself, this whole thing has twisted her but… she must have had this personality inside her.

_This is Kikyo's true personality; it has come out in this competition. All this time she has been like this..._

I had fought and fought with my inner self about who I wanted in my life and I always couldn't decide. I always wanted both, but now…

_Kagome… please don't leave me._

**A/N: Yay, another chapter done. Do you know what I love about writing fanfiction? I can make the characters do and feel whatever I want which means I can actually make Inuyasha come to a decision! Wooo! Kikyo's true personality, I think that was a good way to explain it. All her hatred and betrayal at Kagome for being with Inuyasha comes out and Inuyasha realises that Kikyo is not the woman he thought she was. Why can't something like this happen in the anime… Don't get me wrong I actually like Kikyo in the Final Act because she was actually good and not trying to kill anyone and she backed off a little bit. She actually felt like a nice person. I really didn't like her at the start though because she was always trying to kill someone, working with Naraku (even if it is to destroy him she still hurt Kagome). But I don't mind her now. I just realised I've been rambling for ages so I'm going to stop. **

**Favourite, Follow, Review!**

**Thanks for reading, see you soon**

**Caitlin.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Faceoff**

**A/N: **Okay, getting back into a pattern. Thanks for sticking around despite me not posting a chapter I day like I said I would. For newcomers I might as well reintroduce myself considering I didn't at the start of this fic. (Stupid me) Hello readers! My name is Caitlin; I'm a thirteen year old Australian anime fan that loves writing. I also have an account with my friend Lilian where we have written the start to write our group fanfic, Sirius' Twins, which is from Harry Potter. The name of that account is Caitlin and Lilian Black. Please check it out if you enjoy my writing! Now with that out of the way let's continue where we left off last time!

**DICLAIMER: Do I own Inuyasha? Let me check… nope. *loud sigh* Well, that's just damn depressing. Rumiko Takahashi owns the Inuyasha franchise and probably always will. *sniffles* **

**Chapter Five:**

**Assurance**

The sun was now high in the sky and I hadn't eaten since last night. I wasn't really that hungry though so I didn't stop. I was walking with new determination, a new sense of urgency. I didn't really want to kill her but she wasn't giving me much of a choice. I despised Naraku greatly before but this was nothing short of despicable. Inuyasha must be so worried.

_About whom I wonder? Has this whole ordeal led him to a decision? That would be great but… is it me or her? But I guess that's all irrelevant right now._

I smiled inwardly, no matter where I was all my thoughts returned to him eventually. Though, I was thinking intently about where the others were.

_Shippo is probably very scared. My poor little fox. _

I prayed that everyone was safe and continued walking, onwards and onwards in the direction she hobbled away. If she was alive then she would have died of blood loss but she wasn't alive anymore. But I expected the battle drained a lot of souls from her. Eventually my legs gave in to fatigue and I stopped. I sat down on the grass of a massive, beautiful meadow that was just inside the barrier. I had already tried to bring down the barrier with an arrow but it would not damage it so I pulled some food out of my bag and munched away. I kept my dagger next to me just in case but it was surprisingly calm and quiet, the only sound the soft rustling of the leaves on trees in the winter air. The serenity of the whole scene allowed me to relax, the whole death match pushed aside in my mind. I laid down deep in the meadow under a willow tree. Making myself a bed of grass, I laid down my head, closed my eyes and began to sing.

'**Through the trees and long grass**

**No matter how time seems to pass**

**For you I forever wait,**

**For your love, our eternal fate**

**From mountains high and valleys low**

**Waiting for your love to show**

**With you, my life will always glow. **

I don't know what brought me to sing that song; it was just what my surroundings made me think of. The beautiful lush nature made all the hardships of battles just shed away, revealing the true beauty of this world. I just laid back and enjoyed the few moments of bliss though I knew it was just for a moment. I had to keep moving, I couldn't give Kikyo more time to recuperate. I didn't want to drag this on, that would be cruel to everyone. I slowly got up from my soft green pillow and restarted my trek.

_When this is over, not only this sick contest but when Naraku is dead, I'll return to that meadow and sing that song again. I'll have all my friends with me, when we are all free._

I looked up to the sky, the wind blowing my black hair back off my face.

_I'll be back soon, I promise. _

I took one more longing glance at the peaceful meadow and kept walking, knowing that if, no when, I won I would be able to return to the peacefulness of the meadow.

The winding paths went on forever, the never ending turns slowly losing their purpose as I wandered the village for what seems like an eternity. It was only when I thought that this was how I was going to die, forever wandering within the barrier that had me imprisoned when I saw the house, covered in pointed spears in every direction. It was obvious what, or should I say who was inside. Kikyo must have run out of energy to escape and holed herself up in there. It wouldn't be easy to get in there but once I did, there was no escape for her.

She hadn't had enough spears to completely cover the ground so I could just walk over there by weaving through the spikes but she seemed to have gotten a hold of some explosives and buried them in the ground around the door to her little wooden fortress. If I stepped on one I could end up just like her, if not worse. They could kill me; I had blood to be spilled. Unlike her, I was still alive and bound by mortal limitations. But she wasn't as smart as she thought herself to be, with a thorough look of the roof she didn't have anything to stop me getting in. Her house was right next to another; I could climb on the roof of that one and hop across. That's precisely what I did.

Balancing steadily on the roof of the house, trying desperately not to make too much sound. Strangely, it didn't seem like I had disturbed her, not yet anyways. It seemed like she was sleeping. I swung my bow off my shoulder, notching an arrow and aiming at the roof. If I was lucky, I would hit her and she would be gone before she knew what hit her. It shouldn't be too painful for her that way. I fired the arrow, my priestess powers shining with their brilliant glow and blasted through the roof. I fell into the room landing gently on the floor in a way I've seen my friends do a million times that I eventually learned to do it myself. Kikyo's eyes didn't open she kept on sleeping peacefully.

_Through all that?! _

I quickly stopped hesitating and notched an arrow aiming it at her heart. She looked so peaceful, sleeping on the ground and unable to move because I looked at her and noticed that her souls had all left her. I looked at her face; she had a softness and innocence to her face that I've never seen there before. I faltered, my grip on the bow weakening slightly. It was then that her eyes flung open. Her gaze rose to meet mine and her face returned to that usual stone cold mask, unreadable and untouchable. "Are you going to kill me?" She asked mockingly. "Do you have the strength to?" I fired the bow but it flew off course because of what I saw behind her masquerade of cruelty. I thought there truly used to be a loving priestess there but I realised then that she was not coming back. That part of her died long ago, only fragments returning in dreams. "Haha, how weak you are. Just accept that the copy can't be as good as the original." She laughed. My anger flared and I notched another arrow and fired it, it lodged itself inside her stomach. She cried out. "You are in no position to be criticising me, Kikyo." I told her. "And yet, I still live." She gave me a triumphant smile like she still believed she was going to win. I felt sorry for her, she didn't realise that it was over. "I'm sorry Kikyo. I didn't want it to turn out like this but I need to live. I owe it to Inuyasha to stay by his side, like I promised him." At the mention of Inuyasha she just smiled wickedly, acting like she was the one with the bow and I was wounded on the ground. "He belongs to me, his heart, his body and his soul. It's all mine and you will not take that away from me." Her words were sure, determined. I don't know what it was but it was like she was going to have him no matter whether she died or not. But, I just left it as her mind snapping it last line to sanity. I released the bowstring and the arrow flew into her heart, her breathing stopped and her soul flew out from her body before returning to the bones and ash from which they came. "Goodbye, Kikyo." I said, a single tear rolling down my dirt stained cheek.

_Naraku will pay for this. Kikyo could have been her old self, even if it was a lie, her true nature never would have had to come out if this hadn't of happened. Naraku has ruined the lives of so many. Back when she lived as a priestess in Kaede's Village, she was a kind, caring person dedicated to helping others. Kaede assured me of that, it all goes back to the web of the jewel. Sango and Kohaku, Kikyo and Inuyasha are some of so many who have suffered. _

I close her eyes and prayed for her safe acceptance into the next world. I walked outside and bathed myself in sunlight.

Naraku and Inuyasha flew towards me slowly, incarnations not far behind. Inuyasha's face was blank, he was impossible to read. He needed some time to think so I averted my gaze from him. "Congratulations Kagome." Naraku said though I could tell he was hiding pain.

_His human heart is fighting. _

"Just shut up Naraku." I snarled, grabbing an arrow from my quiver and aiming it at him. "Oh come on now. I just got rid of your only threat. You should be thanking me, the stupidity of you mortals is impossible to comprehend." Naraku said with the inhumane reasoning he was always known for. "You will never know warmth of family, of friendship or of love and I feel sorry for you. But you will die for the things you have done to this world." I said as I released the arrow and the barrier around him burst and punctured his right arm. He snarled, probably hoping that I would have just left with Inuyasha while I could. "You should of played by the rules Kagome." He said, shaking his head and a tentacle burst from him and headed straight for Inuyasha. I quickly unsheathed my katana and darted toward him trying to save him but I wasn't quick enough and Inuyasha couldn't avoid it when he was in that barrier. He went right through him and he crumpled and Naraku dissolved the barrier. "That's what happens when you break the rules." Naraku said. I quickly loaded another arrow onto my bow and aimed at him but all I hit was air. He was already gone. I dashed towards Inuyasha, screaming his name. "Ka-Kagome," He whispered.

"I'm right here." I assured him.

"Stay with me." Those were his last words before he fell into unconsciousness.

**A/N: Hi! First things first, don't worry, the story isn't finished yet. I still have ideas. I didn't want the actual duel to go to long because I was worried I was going to start getting repetitive. I didn't want a story which had each chapter just consist of Kagome fighting Kikyo and then Kikyo sustains an injury and escapes. That would get old so I decided that I could advance the story in different ways. So look out for more chapters to come! Now, a little question for you guys. What do you think Kikyo meant? Does she have a plan or just insane. But she's dead. She can't have a plan can she? Tell me your theories in the reviews. Speaking of reviews, I think I may pay tribute to all my reviewers. **

**PS: Did anyone spot the Hunger Games references in this chapter?**

**I love snowy owls** – Thanks for being the first reviewer for both of my fanfics!

**SakurAndi** – Thank you for your multiple reviews of kind words and praise, they mean a lot to me.

**James Birdsong **– I'm glad you liked them! Thanks for the review.

**Guest **– Woo, great appreciation! I feel so happy :3

**Kunfupandalover **– I try to update as quick as I can! Thanks for reviewing.

**Favourite, Follow and Review! If you want a shoutout like those people then review and I will add you to the list next time there are more reviews.**

**See you later guys,**

**Caitlin**


	6. Chapter 6

**Faceoff**

**A/N: **Welcome back! This is Chapter 6 of the Inuyasha fanfic Faceoff, though you already know that I couldn't think of anything to write in the author's note. So there you go.

**DISCLAIMER: I know, I know, I don't own Inuyasha, STOP REMINDING ME. You know, you people are just cruel. **

**Chapter Six:**

**Wounds**

We were in a small house near the meadow. Inuyasha's condition was severe and he was slipping in and out of consciousness constantly. I never left his side, giving him the occasional medicine and sip of water. We had asked Kirara to go bring Kaede here, she was more skilled than I was and though I had the modern medicines, Kaede was probably the best person to trust with the task. Miroku, Sango and Shippo found us when the barrier was dissolved, they could see the barrier being destroyed from a mile away because if it's gigantic size. They sat in one of the corners, watching Inuyasha as I held his hand. His grip was as tight as he could hold, like he was afraid of losing me too. I didn't blame him he just saw his first love get killed again, considering how many other people he'd lost in his life he was probably gripping on to the remaining friends he had. It was awhile until Kaede walked in the door, herbs in hand. "How is he?" She asked, joining me on the floor next to him.

"Not good, he's been losing and regaining consciousness all the time." I told her, her gaze fell onto my hand. "What happened to your hand Kagome?" She asked, I looked down on my hand and realised that Inuyasha was holding on so tight that his nails had cut into my skin and were drawing blood. I supposed I was so invested in taking care of him that I didn't realise, not that I would have let go even if I had noticed. "I didn't even notice." I replied smiling.

_This pain is nothing, not compared to what he's going through. _

Kaede gave me a sympathetic look and returned to tending to Inuyasha. His wound's bleeding was going down significantly and his panting was slowing.

_I forgot how talented Kaede is._

"Ok, Kagome you can go have a break. Go rest outside." Kaede instructed.

"It's ok Kaede, I'll stay." I insisted, not wanting to leave Inuyasha's side.

"Go and take a much-needed break Kagome." Kaede pressed with a kind smile. I agreed and left the house. I walked over to the willow tree that I rested under last time I was there. I laid my head on the soft grass and stared up at the bright sun and before I knew it, I fell asleep.

It was evening when I awoke; I opened my eyes to a familiar face.

"Inuyasha, why on earth are you up?" I scolded lightly. I leaned up and something fell off me.

_Is this Inuyasha's robe?_

I looked at him and realised I was indeed wearing it seeing as he didn't have it on.

"Inuyasha, aren't you cold?" I inquired.

"I should be asking you that." He countered.

"You're injured; you shouldn't be out here in the first place." I said pointedly. He just smiled and said brushing a bit of hair off my face, "You know, you should worry about yourself once in a while." I was surprised he was even speaking to me.

"I don't even know how you can stand me." I whispered.

"Why on earth would I not be able to stand you? You looked after me for hours all day!" He said like it was the most obvious thing in the world, despite him blushing.

"But Kikyo," I said in an impossibly quiet voice.

"She wasn't the woman I fell in love with Kagome." He answered, looking away slightly. "Besides, even before her personality change she wasn't."

_What?_

"What do you mean by that Inuyasha?" I asked confusion obvious on my face.

"Seriously, you guys say I'm slow." He said, shaking his head. "You, you idiot, I'm talking about you."

_W-Wait, did he just he loved me?!_

"W-What? Y-You don't love me." I stuttered, my speech barely coherent. He rolled his eyes with a smirk and his lips crashed onto mine before I could argue further. My mind went blank, all thoughts cut off as I immersed in the sensation of Inuyasha's lips against mine. Too soon, it ended and Inuyasha pulled away with a ridiculous grin on his face. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that." He informed me. "I um, love you Kagome."

_He said it! He actually said it! _

My eyes started to water and happy tears spilled over. I was so overjoyed that I cried tears of sheer happiness. "What?! What did I do? Stop crying Kagome, you know I hate the tears!" Inuyasha asked frantically, trying to figure out why I was crying. I playfully hit his leg, "I'm happy, dummy." I managed to get out in fits of sobs.

Suddenly I leapt into his arms and hugged him as tight as I could. "I love you Inuyasha!" I squealed. He was slightly bewildered but he eventually started to affectionately stroke my hair as I clung to him, tears still running down my face. "You are truly weird, you know that?" He said laughing.

"So Inuyasha, where have you been?" Miroku asked with a knowing smile next to Sango. He stared at me and gave me a wink. "You were spying on us weren't you Miroku." I accused.

_He definitely knows, it's obvious by how's he's looking at us. _

"I have no idea what you're talking about." He said innocently while Sango gave me a thumbs up before Inuyasha noticed.

_You too Sango? Oh god…_

"Don't listen to him Kagome!" Shippo yelled from across the room. "Sango and him were watching you guys for ages!"

"Shippo!" Miroku yelled, going slightly pale as he turned back to Inuyasha. He chucked lightly but Inuyasha was way past the time for jokes. "What?" Inuyasha said, his eyes flashing with rage. He pulled his hands out in front of him, cracking his knuckles. "Kagome, you and Shippo shouldn't watch this. This could get gory." He told me. "Now Inuyasha, don't do anything rash." Miroku pleaded nervously. Inuyasha gave him a death stare and said, "If you two were smart, you'd be running." Sango and Miroku looked at each other and sprinted out the door. Inuyasha gave me a cruel smile and chased after them. "Inuyasha! Don't kill them!" I shouted after him before sitting down with Kaede. "He really is a child at heart, isn't he." Kaede chuckled. "He sure is." I agreed.

"GET BACK HERE!" We heard Inuyasha yell.

"RUN SANGO! RUN LIKE THE DEVIL'S ON YOUR HEELS!" That was Miroku.

"THANKS FOR THE CONSIDERATION MONK BUT THE DEVIL _IS _ON OUR HEELS!"

Kaede and I looked at each other and burst into laughter, Shippo joining in soon after.

_Back to things used to be. For now._

**A/N: Yay a chapter that isn't dark, no one dies, has some romance and everyone's happy. (apart from Inuyasha ;D) A nice change. Thanks for stopping by everyone! It is a bit short this time but I have a minimum of 1000 words per chapter and it's passed that so I'll make sure that my next chapter is sufficiently sized. **

**REVIEWERS:**

**Konoha's Hanyou Kunoichi** – That's what I was going for! :3

**See you next time, **

**Caitlin**


	7. Chapter 7

**Faceoff**

**A/N: **OK, BEFORE YOU ATTACK ME, HEAR ME OUT.

Oh hi! You thought I was dead? Yeah… I haven't written in quite a while because I was just taking a little break. I have been relaxing, went to a party, slept in, played Minecraft, watched anime and spent an awful amount of time on YouTube. But I'm back and will attempt to get back into something the slightly resembles a routine. School starts back up again soon and I want to write as much as I can while I can because when school starts then I'm going to have a lot less time to write. So let's get right into it shall we? Here we go!

**DISCLAIMER: Again, I don't own any part of Inuyasha. Not one bit. It's all Rumiko Takahashi's so just give her the credit for this great anime.**

**Chapter Seven:**

**Moving Forward**

I took a final look at the meadow and a great sadness flooded me. I didn't want to leave it again. I rummaged through my bag and found my camera that I forgot I even had with me. It was a miracle I hadn't broken it considering how much my bag was thrown around on my travels. I took a few steps back to widen my range before taking the photo. I stared at it on the screen before it went black, reminding me that I would likely never see the meadow again. I took a long sigh and looked back at the others just to find them staring at me with confused faces staring at my camera.

"Kagome what's that thing?" Shippo asked.

"This is a camera, Shippo." I answered.

"What does it do?" Sango added. I explained to them what the camera did and they were fascinated like usual. After that I took pictures of them all at Shippo's request.

_I might put these in an album next time I go home. After all, Souta, Mom and Gramps have never seen the others. Too bad I didn't get a picture of Kaede before she went back to the village._

"Are you ready to go yet?" Inuyasha asked impatiently, obviously completely healed.

"Yes Inuyasha." I sighed; he didn't even let me take a photo of him. I slipped the camera back in my bag and we started to walk again from the peace of the meadow.

"SIT! SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT!" I screamed.

_That damn perv! Can't two women have a bath in peace around here?!_

Sango and I were enjoying a lovely dip in the hot springs when we heard some rustling in the bushes. When we looked over they tried to duck but we could easily see Inuyasha's doggy ears so his efforts were in vain. After covering ourselves with towels we got up and found Miroku and Inuyasha attempting to run away but of course they didn't get away without a pummelling. Sango slapped Miroku and I put the beads to good use which lead me to that moment, storming off into the forest so I could calm down. I stopped and sat down on a rock, looking around in darkness, wondering which way I came from.

_Why am I such an idiot?! I've gone and gotten myself lost. _

I huffed in irritation and saw a cave in nearby and decided that if I just chose a random direction I'd just get myself more hopelessly lost. I started towards the cave and stood at its vast entrance and because my luck was so great, it started to pour.

_Are you kidding me?!_

I clambered into the cave to escape from the downpour just to be greeted with a growl from the darkness.

"How fortuitous for me, its not often a meal just happens upon my lair."

_No way… _

I slowly stepped forward and a huge pair of red eyes flashed in front of me. I looked around frantically for a weapon, beside a cluster of old bones was an even older bow with a couple of arrows and I lunged for it. Just as I leaped, something slithered past where I used to be. Lightning flashed outside and I got a glimpse of what I was up against.

_Ew! A huge slug, that's digusting!_

I loaded an arrow into the bow shot and I heard it collide with the gross demon. It gasped, "A priestess, eh? Haha, you will be delicious and I will become even more powerful by absorbing your powers." It laughed.

"Not in my lifetime, ugly!" I yelled at it and fired another arrow. I heard it smash against rock, meaning I had missed. I heard it chuckle and it sped towards me. I jumped to the side, hoping to avoid it but it caught my leg, making me drop the bow, and my leg slammed into a wall and I heard a crack. I screamed in pain, guessing that my leg was broken. I crumpled to the floor, holding my leg and tried not to move it. I knew that moving a broken bone was the last thing I needed to do. I reached the bow and aimed to where I felt the slight demonic aura. I released it and pure light surrounded the arrow and I saw the demon, mouth open about to devour me and it pierced inside its mouth. There was a horrible squelching noise and it dissolved, but not before it could slither onto my leg, crushing it. I didn't even get time to scream before the pain made me black out.

"Well, who would have thought I would find you here." I hear a disgustingly familiar voice state as I woke up to the new daylight, illuminating the cave. "So is this how the half-breed reacted, dumping you in a cave unable to move?"

_Naraku._

"You wish Naraku." I snarled, reaching for the bow. "Besides, don't forget that you are also a half-demon Naraku."

"You realise of course that you are defenceless, you can't move with that leg can you?" Naraku chucked.

"Defenceless am I?" I spat and fired an arrow, I missed and Naraku used a tentacle to snap my bow in half. My confidence disintegrated and I made an attempt not to show my fear. "You know, I did say that I would leave you alive if you won the game. I didn't say anything about hurting you though." He smirked.

_Oh no, this isn't good. Inuyasha! Help me!_

He approached menacingly and tentacles shot out of his body, piercing my arms, my legs, my stomach. He was missing arteries on purpose, I noticed.

_I will not show pain, not to him. No suffering and no fear. _

I tried to sustain a scowl, constantly aimed at Naraku as he slashed my body to bits. My spiritual powers wouldn't focus; I could do nothing but lay there. He eventually yelled out in anger. "Why do you show no pain?!" I smiled at him,

"I will not show fear, not to you." I said with hatred, "You're a pathetic excuse for a man." He exploded in rage and dashed towards me with inhuman speed and crushed my leg under his foot. I couldn't keep a slight whimper from escaping my lips and he smiled evilly.

"You better hope you're found, girl. You will bleed out from those injuries soon. I don't usually keep my promises, you should feel honoured you're alive." He said, regaining composure and left the cave. It was only when I felt him fly away, his miasma and aura dissipating that I allowed myself to cry. I wept and wept as I trued to assess my countless injuries. Apparently, my spiritual powers were strong enough to keep me from dying like an ordinary human probably would. He was right, though I hated to agree with that monster about anything, I would die if someone didn't find me.

_Inuyasha, please hurry. _

Pain. That's all I could feel. "Kagome! Kagome! Wake up goddamn you!"

_Inuyasha?_

"I-Inu-yasha," I murmured. "S-stop shaking me, my leg hurts. It's broken." He stopped shaking me immediately. "Sorry." He muttered apologetically. "But, what the hell happened to you. Don't tell me it was-"

"Naraku." I finished. Inuyasha burst with anger, "That bastard, when I get my hands on him! I'll, I'll…" He yelled, punching the stone wall.

"Ssh… Inuyasha calm down." I urged him. "Please, get Kaede." He nodded and rushed out of the cave, leaving me alone again. After a while, Kaede entered and I was shocked at the speed Inuyasha managed to get her here but that was that least of my worries. She quickly got to work treating my wounds; luckily they weren't all that serious, with the exception of my broken leg which was throbbing. I was soon covered in bandages all over. I didn't even have a uniform anymore it was just a cluster of rags soaked in blood. The others were waiting outside, as to not distract Kaede. When she was working, it's best to let her work. Luckily, the feudal era did have enough medical knowledge to be able to set broken bones and I soon had a cast around my leg. When she finally cleaned off all the blood and dirt from my wounds and skin, she clothed me in a priestess uniform and gave me some make-shift wooden crutches. She helped me up and I hobbled outside to greet the others. I was bombarded with multiple shouts of 'Kagome!' and gentle, cautious hugs. "We were so worried when you hadn't come back." Sango said.

"We thought you were lost and sent Inuyasha out to get you." Shippo said wiping tears from his eyes. "It's ok, Shippo. Don't cry." I said embracing him, stroking his fiery hair. "We'll take you back to the village to recuperate." Kaede informed me and Inuyasha lifted me onto Kirara, abandoning my crutches, followed by everyone else excluding himself.

_He is pretty fast, besides, Kirara won't be able to take much more weight. _

Kirara took off into the air and Inuyasha ran underneath us as we started towards Kaede's village.

**A/N: You like? I think I didn't do too bad. However, who cares what I think. It's about what YOU think. Did you like it? Tell me in the reviews! But don't foget to follow and favourite either. **

**REVIEWERS: **

**sophie19114: **Thanks! You reviewed a lot of times!  I tried to slow down my scene speed in this chapter. Adding detail and such. I don't know if I did it very well but thanks all the same,

**Review, Follow and Favourite.**

**See you soon.**

**Caitlin**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hi.**

**Please don't kill me.**

**I can explain.**

**FORGIVE ME!**

**So I'm back. It's been how long? Four months? I am awful. I am so sorry guys! I have been ridiculously busy and have been procrastinating so much. I kind of forgot that I wrote fanfiction and it was when I was reading Faceoff through when I was bored that I realised the time that you guys have been waiting. **

**So, (finally) TO THE STORY!**

**DISLCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha and never will. That is all.**

**Chapter 8:**

**Reunion**

_Two days before, late at night…_

_Kagura was wondering Naraku's castle. She was bored with being holed up in there, she was about to head off when he heard yells of pain and anguish coming from Naraku's chambers. She turned around and started to follow the sound of the yells. When she reached the door and was about to open it Kanna appeared behind her. "Don't do it Kagura." Her tiny voice echoed around the empty hall. _

"_Why not? He sounds like he's in pain, not that I care." She replied. _

"_Naraku is not himself, the moon has been hidden. Something bad is coming and it will be brought about by the person he wanted so bad to rid himself of."_

"_You mean…?" _

"_Kikyo." _

I woke from a peaceful slumber. I stretched and yawned before getting up and wobbled over to my stuff so I could begin making breakfast. I rubbed my eyes sleepily as I pulled ingredients out of my bag. Not much later, breakfast was cooking and I was sitting back and waiting. I saw Inuyasha's eyes flutter open and he noticed the scent coming from the food. He was soon bobbing up and down annoyingly around me as I cooked. "Inuyasha," I began angrily, "Could you please cut it out before I knock you senseless with this spoon?" I waved the big wooden spoon at him but instead of backing off like I had hoped he gave me an evil smile and grabbed a water bottle I had near me. He popped off the cap and poured the contents all over me and laughed infuriatingly, "What you gonna do about it, woman?" He sneered.

_That's IT!_

I took a furious deep breath and kicked him out the door into the early morning sunshine and screamed, "SIT!" He fell flat on his face.

"What the hell was that for?!" Inuyasha yelled at me as I sat by a little lake in the village so I didn't wake the others while venting my anger.

_At least we won't disturb anyone while we're out here. The jerk. _

"What does it look like you big idiot!" I yelled back, "I'm soaked! It's freezing!" Perfectly timed, I shivered and I hugged myself.

_Stupid wind. _

A guilt look flashed across Inuyasha's face and he came towards me. "I know how to warm you up." He said as he came closer.

"Wait, what do you mean by that?" I said nervously and took a step back. A step back, into the freezing lake. I squealed as I fell and I splashed into the icy water, hard. I cursed my luck as I sank and sank. I pushed up as I reached the bottom and zoomed up to the top. "Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled as I surfaced again and I swam in a frenzy to get me to the edge. I climbed out just as Inuyasha said, "You are such a clutz, do ya know that?" Inuyasha sighed, shaking his head; suddenly he enveloped me in a hug. He rubbed my shoulders trying to warm me up and I swear my face must have been somewhere around the tomato shade of red. He asked me, "Why do you keep acting so weird?"

"You were the one who was acting weird!" I argued.

_What was he planning to do anyway?_

He blushed and said, "I wasn't doing anything! You're the one who said you were cold!"

"I guess I owe you a thank you." I said as I smiled up at him. "At least you tried to help." He showed me one of his rare genuine smiles and answered,

"Don't mention it." I smiled again, "Literally, the others wouldn't shut up if you did."

I laughed at that.

"Kagome, what happened to you?!" Sango asked worried.

"I fell in a pond…" I answered. Silence… There was just silence… Suddenly, Miroku snickered and Sango and Shippo joined in. It wasn't long until my three friends were all on the ground laughing their head off and holding their stomachs. "S-stop it! My stomach hurts." Sango said between fits of giggles.

"Come on, it wasn't that funny." I urged.

"Nah, it really was." A voice said behind me, I turned and saw Inuyasha with a smirk on his face. I pouted at him, "Mean, Inuyasha, mean." I went back to making breakfast which had somehow not burned while we went on our little… adventure. Eventually the others had settled down enough to hold a serious conversation and we began to talk about what we planned to do now.

"So where do we go from here?" Miroku asked.

"I guess the usual plans apply, find Naraku etcetera." Sango suggested.

"But we have to be more careful, Naraku might pull another stunt like mine." I added.

"Like we would let that happen again." Inuyasha snorted.

_I killed Kikyo, with my own hands. I killed another human being. Someone close to someone I love, why doesn't he hate me? I don't get him at all. But, he said he loves me and kissed me in that meadow. Could it be true?_

"You okay Kagome?" Shippo asked, waving his little hands in front of my face.

"Huh? Yeah, fine." I assured him.

_Oops, spacing out again._

"So, when are we heading off?" I asked the group and their weird gazes faded.

"Today, at midday." Inuyasha cut in before we could suggest times. Shippo sighed heavily, "And here I thought we were getting a break." He complained. We all nodded our heads at that. Inuyasha looked pissed off, "This isn't a holiday! We've got to kill that monster! Miroku, do you want to die? Sango, do you want to avenge your comrades and get your brother back or not?" He said. Miroku and Sango's faces grew saddened before strengthening with resolve. "He's right, we should get moving as soon as possible. They all attacked the breakfast which looked like it was ready and then were soon out the door. I sat there dumbly with Shippo for a second trying to figure out what had just occurred before getting my bag and racing after them, Shippo right behind me. "Wait for me you guys!"

**A/N: Hi guys! So, this took a while to put up. This was supposed to be out a few days ago but it deleted literally three times. I had to rewrite this thing three goddamn times. It wasn't fun but anyway, I'm glad it got finished. Thanks for the supportive reviews and the readers who have been patiently waiting. **

**Love you guys!**

**Caitlin**

**REVIEW, FAVOURITE AND FOLLOW PLEASE! :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hi guys! What? You'd thought I'd be gone for longer again? Nope. I'm trying I swear. I had a exam seminar at my school today, it went for three hours. Then I have parent interviews tomorrow so that even though school doesn't start until Wednesday I had to go to school from Monday anyway. *sigh*. Back on the topic of fanficiton I know I'm not very reliable but I will try to pick up the pace of my writing. I don't even take too long to write it's just actually starting to write. Right now I just felt like writing so here I am. Ok, this is getting too long so let's continue with the adventures shall we?**

**DISCLAIMER: Again, I don't own Inuyasha. All credit goes to Rumiko Takahashi. I'll get you one day Inuyasha, and your fuzzy ears too. **

**Chapter 9:**

**Another Issue**

My eyes fluttered open, I tried to get up but a wave of pain shot through my side. I looked down and I saw that my shirt was ripped (again) and there's a large gash on my hip.

_What the hell is going on?!_

I glanced around rapidly, and to my dismay I was locked in a cell. The stone walls were covered in moss and there was multiple substances splattered around and I didn't dare to question what they were.

Footsteps were approaching, I tried futilely to hide myself in the shadows of the dark room I seemed to be trapped in. As the footsteps grew closer and closer they stopped, right in front of my cell. "Are you trying to hide from me Kagome?" A sinister voice cackled. I cursed my luck; I was stuck again with this monster. "Really Naraku, this whole kidnapping thing is getting old, I think you're going to need a new party trick." I snapped with a smirk. "Big talk from the defenceless girl trapped in a cell." He sneered. I ran to the front of my cells and kicked him in the shin through the bars, "Shut up, spider." He grimaced and spat,

"You wench, you dare defy me in the state you're in." A tentacle reached through the bar and wrapped around my throat, I was lifted up into the air as I struggled against the slimy tentacle. I tried to kick Naraku, scratch him, anything I could. I felt my windpipe being crushed and my need for air grow. My vision started blurring and I blacked out to the sound of that obnoxious laughter.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

I sat up from the tree I was leaning on, panting and inhaling as much air as possible.

_That was a dream? Well, more like a nightmare but that's beside the point. I could feel the pain, it felt so __real__. What's happening to me?_

I leaned back on the tree trunk and closed my eyes, trying to calm down and collect my thoughts. I wiped the sweat from my forehead and breathed in and out deeply.

"Is everything ok Kagome?" My eyes shot open, the sudden voice startled me and I was met with Sango's concerned voice above me. "Everything's fine, just a bad dream." I assured her. I saw her eyes widen and she started to stare at my side I followed her eyes and I saw blood had started to drip from my side.

"What the hell?" I gasped.

_Isn't this the cut I had in my dream?!_

I touched my throat but was forced to quickly retract my hand, it stung. I didn't have to ask this time, this was caused by Naraku's tentacles.

"What the hell?!" I repeated, louder this time. Sango ran to get the others, she was shaking them and pushing them and they all groaned and moaned until finally getting up. "What's the heck's wrong with you Sango? I was sleeping for once and you wake me up?!" Inuyasha complained. I called out to him,

"Sorry Inuyasha, it's my fault. Could you and the others come over here for a second?" He sniffed the air and his eyes widened in shock and he bolted towards me.

"How the heck did you get hurt, why do I smell blood?!" He exclaimed.

Miroku, with Shippo perched comfortably on his shoulder, looked on with worried expressions plastered on their faces. I began to explain, "I got these injuries in a dream." They all looked confused so I continued, "In my dream, I woke up in a cell. I had a big gash in my side and then Naraku came. He started talking and I ended up kicking him, obviously he didn't appreciate that too much so he started to choke me through the bars with a tentacle. I woke up after I blacked out. I could feel all the pain like it was real life and now I understand why. All my injuries sustained in my dreams, affect me in real life." They all thought about this for a while, I was starting to freak out.

_What if I die in my dreams? I could die here too. What am I going to do?!_

"I'd bet my staff its Naraku's doing." Miroku said.

"Oh yeah, well I'd bet my Hiraikotsu!" Sango smirked, trying to outdo him.

"I'd bet my Spinning Top!" Shippo joined in.

"I'd bet my ears, beat that guys." Inuyasha added. We all looked at him, mouth wide open. "You can't bet your ears!" I pouted, "They're too fuzzy."

"Guys we're losing the point here." Shippo interrupted as we fought about the importance of Inuyasha's ears fuzziness. "Right," Miroku apologised, "Sorry."

"I think we've established that it's Naraku pulling the strings as usual." Sango summarised. "Now what do we do?"

"Continue the search as usual, and Kagome you're going to have to try to not sleep." Inuyasha said, glancing in my direction.

_Easier said than done. _

"Ok, in the meantime could someone pass me my bag? I don't want to, you know, die of blood loss." I asked, gesturing to my still bleeding side. Inuyasha quicky reached over and threw the bag at me, which was still ridiculously heavy I might add. The force of the bag threw me back against the tree trunk. "Ow! Inuyasha you jerk!" I yelled at him. "Your fault for being so weak!" I glared at him and said,

"Sit boy." He was pummelled in to the ground and Miroku snickered as Sango and Shippo rolled their eyes and shook their heads. I cleaned up my wound and wrapped it with bandages then I put some cream on my throat which had started to bruise. The pain had luckily been greater than the actual damage so I didn't have any troubles breathing thus far. Inuyasha groaned as he crawled out of his crater and jumped up into a tree where he began to sulk.

After we had all eaten and packed up and were about to leave, I sensed a jewel shard. It wasn't one I was familiar with; it wasn't Kohaku, Koga or Naraku. "Guys, there's a jewel shard coming from that direction." I exclaimed as I pointed to where the feeling was coming from. We raced off in that direction, I climbed on Inuyasha and the others got on Kirara and we ran past countless trees and bushes as the feeling became stronger and stronger, we were getting close. We travelled for a few more minutes until we reached a large clearing, possible manmade. We landed and we got into battle positions, in the centre of the clearing stood a small girl, purple hair flowed down her back, nearly touching the floor. Her eyes were sparkling teal and she had long pointed claws.

"Demon." Inuyasha muttered to me. I nodded and approached her cautiously,

"Where did you get that jewel shard, little one?" She looked up, looking frightened. "Don't come any closer!" She squealed and I stopped. I crouched down so I was eye-level with her. "What's the matter?" I asked, concerned. She was so scared. I'd never seen anyone so frightened in my life. Her hands were shaking and her eyes were darting rapidly between us and she took unsteady steps backwards. "He'll hurt my little brother if I don't do what he asks." She stuttered, tears running down her little face. Suddenly, she raised her head and swiped with her claws. I managed to dodge the first one but she kept coming. Inuyasha and the others dashed towards me and stood in front of me as I got my bow and quiver from my bag that Inuyasha had dropped near the edge of the forest. "Don't kill her guys!" I pleaded to my friends. "What gave you that idea?" Inuyasha shouted back as he hit her and she flew back. She slammed against a tree and I cringed as she winced with pain and her eyes closed. I ran towards her and saw that her arm had a really deep cut and that she had a bunch of bruises. I got my bag and started to treat her injuries as her eyes flickered open. She squealed as she noticed I was so close and tried to run away but then noticed the wounds I had covered. She gave me a questioning look and said quietly, "What are you doing helping me?"

"Look kid, we'll save your brother for you so no more attacking us, k?"

"Really, you'd do that for me?" She exclaimed, her pretty eyes filling with hope.

"Of course, it's obvious that you don't want to fight us." Sango assured her.

"You don't need to worry about a thing." Miroku added.

"Thanks." She smiled.

We spent the rest of the day learning more about the girl. Her name was Tsukiko; a few days ago her village was attacked by demons. She and her brother, Haru, were the only survivors but Naraku appeared and kidnapped her brother and gave her a jewel shard to attract us. He said that of she didn't use her dream powers to alter my dreams so that injuries affect me in real life he would kill her little brother. Naturally, Sango was furious. This was reminded her of her and Kohaku and it enraged her to no end. We promised her that we would get her brother back and take care of Naraku in the process. She was so happy to have someone be on her side, however there was one problem. Luckily, Kanna had apparently gone to help Kagura find jewel shards so Naraku couldn't spy on us so he doesn't know that Tsukiko has joined us but he can see my dreams because of a connection he still has with Tsukiko. Unfortunately if we went to keep her brother alive she will have to keep letting him into my dreams which means I could still get hurt or worse. However, Tsukiko knew were Naraku and her brother were hiding so we set off to the mountains in the west where he was hidden.

**A/N: Chapter Nine done! So what did you guys think? Absolutely rubbish? Decent? Pretty good? Tell me in the reviews. So, I finally got another chapter up again so enjoy it guys. Again, I apologise to those who wait for me to release a new chapter for ages. I am quite busy and I have trouble finding the time. So thanks for reading!**

**PS: Are there any K-Pop fans out there? It's a completely unrelated question but I love K-Pop myself so I want to know what you guys are interested in. So tell me a bit about yourselves in the reviews if you like :D**

**As always,**

**REVIEW, FAVOURITE AND FOLLOW**

**Thanks for reading and I'll see you guys next time. **

**~Caitlin**

Tsukiko


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hi Guys! It's Chapter 10 time! Ready?**

**Chapter 10:  
Awake**

I was exhausted. We had spent the last two days walking and of course, I wasn't sleeping. If it was just me staying awake staying in one place I could probably have stayed up for much longer. But, as usual, luck wasn't on my side. Demons attacked from nowhere and I had no choice but to help the others fight. It was obvious to me that my fatigue was affecting my shooting, my aim was failing and there was barely enough power in my arms to fire. I didn't miss that worrying looks from my friends and the apologetic ones from Tsukiko. The others were making me ride on Kirara so I didn't have to waste energy. I was grateful for that; I was obviously slowing them down.

The sun was going down and we had to stop, it was going to be too dark to travel at night. Kirara landed swiftly next to Sango, I slung my bag onto my shoulder and climbed off Kirara. "Thanks girl." I said, stroking her fur. She purred in appreciation and Sango gave me a smile. I smiled back as I started to unpack some food for dinner out of my bag. I slowly poured water into the cups of ramen; I didn't have the strength for anything complicated. Tsukiko came up to me and asked, "Kagome what's that stuff?" I remembered that she didn't know about where I came from and began to explain. My life, the future and how all this happened. She listened intently the whole time and after I was finished, looked at me in fascination. "You really are amazing, aren't you?"

"Not really, I owe everything to my friends really." I said while glancing to my friends who were chatting by a tree. I returned to making dinner once Tsukiko wernt to talk to the others. After it was ready, I handed them to the others who thanked me and began to eat. I changed the bandages on the wound on my side. My throat was healing and my side seemed to be closing up fine. I was lucky this time.

After dinner, everyone tried to stay up with me so it was easier for me. I tried to tell them to get some rest but they weren't having it. "Kagome just let us stay awake." Shippo pleaded. "But you guys are tired; you've been doing a lot of fighting today." I argued. "So? It's fine just let us help you idiot." Inuyasha added. I glared at him and sighed, "Fine." There was no more point in arguing; even I wasn't going to win here. The other gave me kind smiles and Miroku suggested we play cards. I agreed and decided that we should play something easy like Snap. "What the heck is Snap?" Inuyasha butted in. "It's a game where you divide up the cards between everyone equally. Then you go around in a circle placing cards down, when you get two in a row that are the same card you have to slap your hand on the matching cards and say snap!"

"Seems simple enough." Miroku stated.

"Yay! I like games!" Tsukiko cheered. I smiled at her and started dividing up the cards then quickly added, "No looking at the cards in your hand." They nodded in understanding and we began to play. Shippo went first and placed down a nine. To make sure they understand I added, "So if I were to put down a nine I would have to slap the cards and say snap."

"Alright then." They said. We kept going around the circle, we played a few games. Luckily, because they hadn't heard of Snap before they were kept intrigued for a few hours. Unfortunately for me, I was getting really tired. My eyes were drooping and I was yawning every few minutes. I fought to stay awake but I eventually curled into a ball, ignoring the others shakes and shouts for me to stay awake and fell asleep.

"You took your time Kagome." I heard a voice say, his voice. Naraku's voice.

"Yeah well I was sure you had something better to do then waiting around for me. Attacking a village, slaughtering some innocents, the usual?" I sneered. He chuckled, "You always having something to say don't you." I took the chance to analyse my surroundings, it seemed to be a little village. There was no one around but I suppose he could choose whatever he wanted to be in this dream. "So what do you have in store for me tonight, Naraku?" I asked, wondering why he hadn't attacked yet.

"What indeed." He walked into the village and I followed him, I knew that I should probably shouldn't but my feet followed him of their own accord. I walked towards him where his back was turned towards me. Suddenly, steel walls rose around us and boxed us in, enclosing me and him in a small space. A bow and quiver full of arrows appeared on the ground in front of me. I understood, this was a battleground and he had someone somewhere for me to fight. "Typical Naraku doesn't have the guts to fight me head on. Who am I fighting today?" I spat.

"An old friend." He answered and someone I wasn't expecting appeared. Sweeping black hair flowing behind her, piercing brown eyes staring at me with hatred and mouth twisted into a snarl. Kikyo.

She stopped on the other side of Naraku and suddenly leaped at me. I didn't hesitate I jumped aside and fired an arrow straight into her stomach. She grimaced and swiped at me, I easily dodged her clumsy moves. This wasn't Kikyo, he couldn't manage to bring her back to life this was probably just a replica body that he brought to life. It was a monster, it wasn't a her it was an it. It attacked with swipes but I just leaped to each side. It was horrendously slow and was in a complete frenzy. Like a rabid dog, it kept stumbling around and I easily fired arrow after arrow. It was a mess, I kind of felt sorry for the creature. I decided that it needed to be put out of its misery, I didn't waste time firing several arrows into its head and it collapsed with a growl. Naraku looked shocked for a few seconds but quickly composed himself and smirked, "Just as I thought, you despised her so much that you slaughtered her in cold blood. You aren't as pure as everyone seems to think you are."

"Shut up, that wasn't even human. You are just so pathetic that you tried to create that to put me off. Kikyo was brought back once; you don't need her to go through the pain of returning again. Let her have some semblance of peace." He laughed and launched a spider web that cut into my face slightly and warm blood dripped down my face. "You should really think about what you say in a place where I have all the power. Lucky for you I have some business to attend to you so you get to keep your life for a while longer. Consider yourself honoured." The world started to twist and turn, then I opened my eyes.

"Kagome!"

**A/N: All done for this chapter! Thanks for reading!**

**Review, Favourite and Follow! **

**Please?**

**~Caitlin**


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